Macaulay Culkin Says He's 'Essentially Retired' From Acting

Macaulay Culkin has revealed that he has "essentially retired" from acting.

In an interview with New York Magazine, Culkin, who has remained largely out of the spotlight since his "Home Alone" days, said that his acting days are pretty much all behind him, revealing that he now spends most of his time painting, writing and “whatevering.”

“I’m a man in his mid-30s who’s essentially retired,” Culkin said. “I kind of go where the wind takes me a little bit.”

Though he tries to avoid attracting attention, Culkin said that he still gets recognized when he walks down the streets of New York, saying, "even if I don’t get bugged, it’s looming, it’s there.”

The actor noted that to avoid being recognized, he likes to go out in the middle of the night, when there are less people outside.

"I'll take walks at 2 or 4 in the morning, because there's nobody out on the streets and it's easy for me to go unnoticed," Culkin said.

Culkin, 35, explained that he now splits his time between New York and Paris, noting that he particularly enjoys his time in France because no one is ever starstruck when they see him.

"It turned out that no, they recognized me, they just didn't care," Culkin said. "I was like, 'Where have you people been my entire life?'"

Even even though the former childhood star is usually able to get away from his famous past in France, Culkin did share a funny story about a Parisian cafe that was using his name as its Wi-Fi password.

The actor explained that when he walked into the cafe, a woman handed him a "Home Alone"–era photo of himself on a card.

"A waitress just gave it to me and walked away -- their Wi-Fi code was 'Macaulay Culkin,'" the actor said. "When she came back, I said, 'I like your Wi-Fi code.' She goes, 'Thank you,' and I say, 'C’est moi.' She turned white and brought over the owner of the place, who said, 'I knew you’d come here someday.'"